The power of the blog

I am too Cartesian so I often look at the stats page in Squarespace, our blog provider. So let’s share some numbers first: merlin’s blog is read by about 15 different persons every day (the maximum being about 90 one day), averaging more than 2200 pages view per week. Readers are from all over the planet. Americans, Canadians and French are the most numerous but we’ve had readers from India, Poland, Japan, Slovakia, Chili or Russia. People seem to check the latest post first, which is in fact the main page. If they don’t know us or our blog, they go back to older stories, check who we are, check the boat’s details and our list of links. Most people spent few minutes browsing. New readers tend to spent more time (hours sometimes!). I’ve noticed recently that someone downloaded the full blog including all the photos. That should make quite a nice sailing log once printed!

Most readers do come directly to this address, but also from other links (blogs from sailing friends, “Women and Cruising”, our sale advert, etc). Google (mostly) leads new readers through their key words to the blog. Of course there are all the classic key words: “Merlin”, “catamaran” or “sailing”. The logical ones like “crusing family” or “Pacific crossing”. There are also the odd ones like “Mamouss”, “charades”, Felix a 7 ans” or “Mamitupu”.

The aim of the blog was to send, as often as possible, a little thought and share our discoveries. Our friend Teresa started it for us nearly 3 years ago so we would just “feed” it regularly. It is in fact easier and more convenient to write a short post and add a photo than to send tens of emails telling nearly the same stories. Our blog is not the most popular. But it is alive for our families and friends who are wondering what we are up too.  However, Merlinsvoyage.net went over this main aim and we have had nice emails from total strangers. Most of the time their feedback is really encouraging, telling us we’ve inspired them, asking us some tips or just letting us know they love the blue of the photos.

Teresa, thanks again for setting up merlin’s blog and posting all our news while at sea. Family, friends, curious dreamers, dreaming sailors and fellow cruisers thanks for reading Merlin's stories!

Noel avant l’heure

La vie en bateau apprend la camaraderie: aider, partager, donner. Donner pour rien, pour du plaisir, pour un sourire, et meme pour faire le vide. Alors lorsque nos gentils voisins (http://www.levoyagedetibao.com/) vident leurs cales pour cause de vente de bateau, on en profite! Quelques gourmandises (Nestle Dessert de Caledonie!) mais surtout plus d’une vingtaine de livres en francais!  Merci Audrey pour ces heures de bonheur presentes et a venir!

Today is the last day at school (for 2011)

These last few weeks were busy at school and parties were numerous: Disco Party, Garden Party, swimming carnival, school concert on Tuesday (see photos below), end of the year class party yesterday (with loads of food). The last kids party is planned for this afternoon at the park. The end of the school year arrived very quickly and there is now definitely a Christmassy feel all around, with some excitement, music and decorations. Merlin is getting ready too with new colorful Christmas art and greeting cards. Even the kids are exchanging cards. Clea, being very popular, is the one who received the most of them.

Traditions

 “Saint Nicolas,
Patron des écoliers,
Apporte-moi des pommes
Dans mon petit panier.
Je serai toujours sage
Comme une petite image.
J'apprendrai mes leçons
Pour avoir des bonbons.”

Voici ce que je chantais lorsque j’avais l’age de mes enfants. Aujourd’hui les pommes font un peu moins rever et le petit panier s’est transforme en soulier mais les bonbons sont toujours la au matin du 6 decembre...sans oublier les manala au petit dejeuner qui sont venus parfaire cette tradition alsacienne de la Saint Nicolas.

Time for sand (again!)...

Some have their holiday getaway; we have our week-end anchorage. It is always with a huge smile and a great pleasure that we take Merlin out in Moreton Bay and anchor in front of the big white sand dunes. This week-end, Victor invited his friend Jack to discover life on board and share the fun.Always the same excitement to think of the best way to slide down, always the same effort to climb these big dunes under the strong sun and always the same fun. Not always the same figures, the same tumbles nor the same laughters but we always have such a good time.

(more style, falls and sand in the photo gallery)

The turtles and sting rays spotting and good weather just added to the excitement of our getaway.